Notable Publication: Medical Management of Hypertriglyceridemia in Pancreatitis

The UPMC Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism recently published a notable review in Current Opinion in Gastroenterology that explored the role of hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP).

Faculty from the Division included Erin E. Kershaw, MD, and Maja Stefanovic-Racic, MD, PhD, as well as Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism fellow Nikola Gligorijevic, MD. Dr. Kershaw was the corresponding author of the study.

The review defines acute pancreatitis as “an inflammatory process that initially involves the acinar cells in the pancreas and progresses to a systemic inflammation.”¹

Prior research shows that HTG is the third most common cause of acute pancreatitis, with several studies arguing that HTG-AP is associated with more complicated clinical course and a higher mortality than acute pancreatitis from other causes.¹

Therefore, the review highlights the critical need to understand, prevent, and treat HTG alone and in combination with acute pancreatitis.

The team suggests that patients with HTG-AP require acute and long-term management of HTG if they want to reduce and maintain triglyceride levels to less than 500 mg/dl.

Evidence supporting measuring triglyceride levels early in the patient's journey so that appropriate early and long-term treatment can be initiated is also provided as further support.

View the full review.

Reference

1. Gligorijevic, Nikola; Stefanovic-Racic, Maja; Kershaw, Erin E. Medical management of hypertriglyceridemia in pancreatitis. Current Opinion in Gastroenterology 39(5):p 421-427, September 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/MOG.0000000000000956